Chemical sensor with protruded sensor surface Patent Grant Fife , et al. December 5, 2 [LIFE TECHNOLOGIES CORPORATION]

Chemical sensor with protruded sensor surface

Fife , et al. December 5, 2

Patent Grant 9835585

U.S. patent number 9,835,585 [Application Number 14/197,741] was granted by the patent office on 2017-12-05 for chemical sensor with protruded sensor surface. This patent grant is currently assigned to LIFE TECHNOLOGIES CORPORATION. The grantee listed for this patent is LIFE TECHNOLOGIES CORPORATION. Invention is credited to James Bustillo, Keith G. Fife, Shifeng Li, Jordan Owens.

United States Patent	9,835,585
Fife , et al.	December 5, 2017

Chemical sensor with protruded sensor surface

Abstract

In one implementation, a chemical sensor is described. The chemical sensor includes a chemically-sensitive field effect transistor including a floating gate conductor having an upper surface. A conductive element protrudes from the upper surface of the floating gate conductor into an opening. A dielectric material defines a reaction region. The reaction region overlies and extends below an upper surface of the conductive element.

Inventors:

Fife; Keith G. (Palo Alto, CA), Owens; Jordan (Austin, TX), Li; Shifeng (Fremont, CA), Bustillo; James (Castro Valley, CA)

Applicant:

Name	City	State	Country	Type
LIFE TECHNOLOGIES CORPORATION	Carlsbad	CA	US

Assignee:

LIFE TECHNOLOGIES CORPORATION (Carlsbad, CA)

Family ID:

51523577

Appl. No.:

14/197,741

Filed:

March 5, 2014

Prior Publication Data


	Document Identifier	Publication Date
	US 20140264322 A1	Sep 18, 2014

Related U.S. Patent Documents


Application Number	Filing Date	Patent Number	Issue Date
61868947	Aug 22, 2013
61790866	Mar 15, 2013

Current U.S. Class:	1/1
Current CPC Class:	G01N 27/4145 (20130101)
Current International Class:	H01L 27/14 (20060101); G01N 27/414 (20060101)
Field of Search:	;438/49 ;257/43,414

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Primary Examiner: Kebede; Brook

Parent Case Text

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/868,947 filed Aug. 22, 2013 and 61/790,866 filed Mar. 15, 2013, the entire contents of which are incorporated by reference herein in their entirety.

Claims

The invention claimed is:

1. A chemical sensor, comprising: a chemically-sensitive field effect transistor including a floating gate conductor having an upper surface; a conductive element protruding from the upper surface of the floating gate conductor; a dielectric material defining a reaction region, the reaction region overlying and extending below an upper surface of the conductive element.

2. The chemical sensor of claim 1, wherein the conductive element has a width less than a width of the reaction region.

3. The chemical sensor of claim 1, wherein the upper surface of the conductive element is below an upper surface of the dielectric material.

4. The chemical sensor of claim 1, wherein the dielectric material includes a first layer and a second layer on the first layer, and the conductive element extends from the upper surface of the floating gate conductor a distance defined by a thickness of the first layer.

5. The chemical sensor of claim 1, wherein the conductive element comprises an electrically conductive material, and an upper surface of the conductive element includes an oxide of the electrically conductive material.

6. The chemical sensor of claim 1, further comprising a layer of sensing material on the conductive element.

7. The chemical sensor of claim 6, wherein the sensing material comprises a metal-oxide.

8. The chemical sensor of claim 6, wherein the sensing material is sensitive to hydrogen ions.

9. The chemical sensor of claim 1, wherein the chemically-sensitive field effect transistor includes a floating gate structure comprising a plurality of conductors electrically coupled to one another and separated by dielectric layers, and the floating gate conductor is an uppermost conductor in the plurality of conductors.

10. The chemical sensor of claim 1, wherein the chemically-sensitive field effect transistor generates a sensor signal in response to a chemical reaction occurring proximate to the conductive element.

11. The chemical sensor of claim 1, further comprising: a microfluidic structure in fluid flow communication with the chemically-sensitive field effect transistor, and arranged to deliver analytes for sequencing.

12. A method for manufacturing a chemical sensor, the method comprising: forming a chemically-sensitive field effect transistor including a floating gate conductor having an upper surface; forming a conductive element protruding from the upper surface of the floating gate conductor; and forming a dielectric material defining a reaction region overlying and extending below an upper surface of the conductive element.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein forming the dielectric material and forming the conductive element comprise: forming a first dielectric material on the upper surface of the floating gate, the first dielectric defining a cavity extending to the upper surface of the floating gate conductor; forming the conductive element within the cavity; forming a second dielectric material on the conductive element and the first dielectric; and etching the first and second dielectric material to expose the conductive element and define the reaction region.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the forming the conductive element within the cavity comprises: depositing a conductive material on an upper surface of the first dielectric and filling the cavity; and removing at least a portion of the conductive from the upper surface of the dielectric.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein removing at least the portion of the conductive material comprises performing a planarization process to expose the upper surface of the first dielectric.

16. The method of claim 12, wherein the reaction region surrounds an outer surface of the conductive element.

17. The method of claim 12, wherein the dielectric material contacts a lower portion of an outer surface of the conductive element.

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This disclosure, in general, relates to sensors for chemical analysis, and to methods for manufacturing such sensors.

BACKGROUND

A variety of types of chemical sensors have been used in the detection of chemical processes. One type is a chemically-sensitive field effect transistor (chemFET). A chemFET includes a source and a drain separated by a channel region, and a chemically sensitive area coupled to the channel region. The operation of the chemFET is based on the modulation of channel conductance, caused by changes in charge at the sensitive area due to a chemical reaction occurring nearby. The modulation of the channel conductance changes the threshold voltage of the chemFET, which can be measured to detect and/or determine characteristics of the chemical reaction. The threshold voltage may, for example, be measured by applying appropriate bias voltages to the source and drain, and measuring a resulting current flowing through the chemFET. As another example, the threshold voltage may be measured by driving a known current through the chemFET, and measuring a resulting voltage at the source or drain.

An ion-sensitive field effect transistor (ISFET) is a type of chemFET that includes an ion-sensitive layer at the sensitive area. The presence of ions in an analyte solution alters the surface potential at the interface between the ion-sensitive layer and the analyte solution, due to the protonation or deprotonation of surface charge groups caused by the ions present in the analyte solution. The change in surface potential at the sensitive area of the ISFET affects the threshold voltage of the device, which can be measured to indicate the presence and/or concentration of ions within the solution. Arrays of ISFETs may be used for monitoring chemical reactions, such as DNA sequencing reactions, based on the detection of ions present, generated, or used during the reactions. See, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 7,948,015 to Rothberg et al., which is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety. More generally, large arrays of chemFETs or other types of chemical sensors may be employed to detect and measure static and/or dynamic amounts or concentrations of a variety of analytes (e.g. hydrogen ions, other ions, compounds, etc.) in a variety of processes. The processes may, for example, be biological or chemical reactions, cell or tissue cultures or monitoring neural activity, nucleic acid sequencing, etc.

An issue that arises in the operation of large scale chemical sensor arrays is the susceptibility of the sensor output signals to noise. Specifically, the noise affects the accuracy of the downstream signal processing used to determine the characteristics of the chemical and/or biological process being detected by the sensors. It is therefore desirable to provide devices including low noise chemical sensors, and methods for manufacturing such devices.

SUMMARY

In one exemplary embodiment, a chemical sensor is described. The chemical sensor includes a chemically-sensitive field effect transistor including a floating gate conductor having an upper surface. A conductive element may protrude from the upper surface of the floating gate conductor. A dielectric material defines a reaction region. The reaction region may overly and extend below an upper surface of the conductive element. According to one embodiment, the conductive element may have a width less than a width of the reaction region. According to another embodiment, the upper surface of the conductive element may be below an upper surface of the dielectric material. In another embodiment, the dielectric material may include a first layer and a second layer on the first layer, and the conductive element may extend from the upper surface of the floating gate conductor a distance defined by a thickness of the first layer. According to one embodiment, the conductive element may comprise an electrically conductive material, and an upper surface of the conductive element may include an oxide of the electrically conductive material. In one embodiment, the chemical sensor further includes a layer of sensing material on the conductive element. The sensing material may comprise a metal-oxide. The sensing material is sensitive to hydrogen ions. According to another embodiment, the chemically-sensitive field effect transistor may include a floating gate structure comprising a plurality of conductors electrically coupled to one another and separated by dielectric layers, and the floating gate conductor may be an uppermost conductor in the plurality of conductors. In another embodiment, the chemically-sensitive field effect transistor may generate a sensor signal in response to a chemical reaction occurring proximate to the conductive element. In yet another embodiment, the chemical sensor further includes a microfluidic structure in fluid flow communication with the chemically-sensitive field effect transistor, and arranged to deliver analytes for sequencing.

In another exemplary embodiment, a method for manufacturing a chemical sensor is described. The method includes forming a chemically-sensitive field effect transistor including a floating gate conductor having an upper surface. The method further includes forming a conductive element protruding from the upper surface of the floating gate conductor. The method further includes forming a dielectric material defining a reaction region overlying and extending below an upper surface of the conductive element. According to one embodiment, the forming the dielectric material and forming the conductive element includes forming a first dielectric material on the upper surface of the floating gate, the first dielectric defining a cavity extending to the upper surface of the floating gate conductor; forming the conductive element within the cavity; forming a second dielectric material on the conductive element and the first dielectric; and etching the first and second dielectric material to expose the conductive element and define the reaction region. In another embodiment, the forming the conductive element within the cavity may include depositing a conductive material on an upper surface of the first dielectric and filling the cavity; and removing at least a portion of the conductive from the upper surface of the dielectric. In one embodiment, the removing at least the portion of the conductive material may comprise performing a planarization process to expose the upper surface of the first dielectric. According to one embodiment, a sensing surface of the chemical sensor may include the upper surface of the conductive element. According to another embodiment, the sensing surface of the chemical sensor further includes an outer surface of the conductive element. In another embodiment, the dielectric material contacts a lower portion of an outer surface of the conductive element.

Particular aspects of one more implementations of the subject matter described in this specification are set forth in the drawings and the description below. Other features, aspects, and advantages of the subject matter will become apparent from the description, the drawings, and the claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 illustrates a block diagram of components of a system for nucleic acid sequencing according to an exemplary embodiment.

FIG. 2 illustrates a cross-sectional view of a portion of the integrated circuit device and flow cell according to an exemplary embodiment.

FIG. 3 illustrates cross-sectional of representative chemical sensors and corresponding reaction regions according to an exemplary embodiment.

FIG. 4 illustrates cross-sectional of representative chemical sensors and corresponding reaction regions according to another exemplary embodiment.

FIGS. 5 to 11 illustrate stages in a manufacturing process for forming an array of chemical sensors and corresponding well structures according to an exemplary embodiment.

FIGS. 12 to 14 illustrate stages in a manufacturing process for forming an array of chemical sensors and corresponding well structures according to another exemplary embodiment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

A chemical detection device are described that include low noise chemical sensors, such as chemically-sensitive field effect transistors (chemFETs), for detecting chemical reactions within overlying, operationally associated reaction regions. Reducing the plan or top view area (or footprint) of individual chemical sensors and the overlying reaction regions allows for higher density devices. However, as the dimensions of the chemical sensors are reduced, Applicants have found that a corresponding reduction in the sensing surface area of the sensors can impact performance. For example, for chemical sensors having sensing surfaces defined at the bottom of the reaction regions, reducing the plan view dimensions (e.g. the width or diameter) of the reaction regions results in a similar reduction in the sensing surface areas. Applicants have found that as the sensing surface area is reduced to technology limits, fluidic noise due to the random fluctuation of charge on the sensing surface contributes to an increasing proportion of the total variation in sensing surface potential. This can reduce the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of the sensor output signal, which may affect the accuracy of the downstream signal processing used to determine the characteristics of the chemical and/or biological process being detected by the sensor. Chemical sensors described herein have sensing surface areas which are not limited to a two-dimensional area at the bottom of the reaction regions. In embodiments described herein, the sensing surface of the chemical sensor includes conductive element protruding from the upper surface of the floating gate conductor into an opening. By extending the conductive element into the opening, the chemical sensor can have a small footprint, while also having a sufficiently large sensing surface area to avoid the noise issues associated with small sensing surfaces. The footprint of a chemical sensor is determined in part by the width (e.g. diameter) of the overlying reaction region and can be made small, allowing for a high density array. In addition, because the reaction region overlies and extends below an upper surface of the conductive element, the sensing surface area can be relatively large. As a result, low noise chemical sensors can be provided in a high density array, such that the characteristics of reactions can be accurately detected.

FIG. 1 illustrates a block diagram of components of a system for nucleic acid sequencing according to an exemplary embodiment. The components include a flow cell 101 on an integrated circuit device 100, a reference electrode 108, a plurality of reagents 114 for sequencing, a valve block 116, a wash solution 110, a valve 112, a fluidics controller 118, lines 120/122/126, passages 104/109/111, a waste container 106, an array controller 124, and a user interface 128. The integrated circuit device 100 includes a microwell array 107 overlying a sensor array that includes chemical sensors as described herein. The flow cell 101 includes an inlet 102, an outlet 103, and a flow chamber 105 defining a flow path of reagents over the microwell array 107. The reference electrode 108 may be of any suitable type or shape, including a concentric cylinder with a fluid passage or a wire inserted into a lumen of passage 111. The reagents 114 may be driven through the fluid pathways, valves, and flow cell 101 by pumps, gas pressure, or other suitable methods, and may be discarded into the waste container 106 after exiting the outlet 103 of the flow cell 101. The fluidics controller 118 may control driving forces for the reagents 114 and the operation of valve 112 and valve block 116 with suitable software. The microwell array 107 includes an array of reaction regions as described herein, also referred to herein as microwells, which are operationally associated with corresponding chemical sensors in the sensor array. For example, each reaction region may be coupled to a chemical sensor suitable for detecting an analyte or reaction property of interest within that reaction region. The microwell array 107 may be integrated in the integrated circuit device 100, so that the microwell array 107 and the sensor array are part of a single device or chip. The flow cell 101 may have a variety of configurations for controlling the path and flow rate of reagents 114 over the microwell array 107. The array controller 124 provides bias voltages and timing and control signals to the integrated circuit device 100 for reading the chemical sensors of the sensor array. The array controller 124 also provides a reference bias voltage to the reference electrode 108 to bias the reagents 114 flowing over the microwell array 107.

During an experiment, the array controller 124 collects and processes output signals from the chemical sensors of the sensor array through output ports on the integrated circuit device 100 via bus 127. The array controller 124 may be a computer or other computing means. The array controller 124 may include memory for storage of data and software applications, a processor for accessing data and executing applications, and components that facilitate communication with the various components of the system in FIG. 1. The values of the output signals of the chemical sensors indicate physical and/or chemical parameters of one or more reactions taking place in the corresponding reaction regions in the microwell array 107. For example, in an exemplary embodiment, the values of the output signals may be processed using the techniques disclosed in Rearick et al., U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/339,846, filed Dec. 29, 2011, based on U.S. Prov. Pat. Appl. No. 61/428,743, filed Dec. 30, 2010, and 61/429,328, filed Jan. 3, 2011, and in Hubbell, U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/339,753, filed Dec. 29, 2011, based on U.S. Prov. Pat. Appl. No. 61/428,097, filed Dec. 29, 2010, which are all incorporated by reference herein in their entirety. The user interface 128 may display information about the flow cell 101 and the output signals received from chemical sensors in the sensor array on the integrated circuit device 100. The user interface 128 may also display instrument settings and controls, and allow a user to enter or set instrument settings and controls.

In an exemplary embodiment, during the experiment the fluidics controller 118 may control delivery of the individual reagents 114 to the flow cell 101 and integrated circuit device 100 in a predetermined sequence, for predetermined durations, at predetermined flow rates. The array controller 124 can collect and analyze the output signals of the chemical sensors indicating chemical reactions occurring in response to the delivery of the reagents 114. During the experiment, the system may also monitor and control the temperature of the integrated circuit device 100, so that reactions take place and measurements are made at a known predetermined temperature. The system may be configured to let a single fluid or reagent contact the reference electrode 108 throughout an entire multi-step reaction during operation. The valve 112 may be shut to prevent any wash solution 110 from flowing into passage 109 as the reagents 114 are flowing. Although the flow of wash solution may be stopped, there may still be uninterrupted fluid and electrical communication between the reference electrode 108, passage 109, and the microwell array 107. The distance between the reference electrode 108 and the junction between passages 109 and 111 may be selected so that little or no amount of the reagents flowing in passage 109 and possibly diffusing into passage 111 reach the reference electrode 108. In an exemplary embodiment, the wash solution 110 may be selected as being in continuous contact with the reference electrode 108, which may be especially useful for multi-step reactions using frequent wash steps.

FIG. 2 illustrates a cross-sectional view of a portion of the integrated circuit device 100 and flow cell 101. During operation, the flow chamber 105 of the flow cell 101 confines a reagent flow 208 of delivered reagents across open ends of the reaction regions in the microwell array 107. The volume, shape, aspect ratio (such as base width-to-well depth ratio), and other dimensional characteristics of the reaction regions may be selected based on the nature of the reaction taking place, as well as the reagents, byproducts, or labeling techniques (if any) that are employed. The chemical sensors of the sensor array 205 are responsive to (and generate output signals) chemical reactions within associated reaction regions in the microwell array 107 to detect an analyte or reaction property of interest. The chemical sensors of the sensor array 205 may, for example, be chemically sensitive field-effect transistors (chemFETs), such as ion-sensitive field effect transistors (ISFETs). Examples of chemical sensors and array configurations that may be used in embodiments are described in U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2010/0300559, No. 2010/0197507, No. 2010/0301398, No. 2010/0300895, No. 2010/0137143, and No. 2009/0026082, and U.S. Pat. No. 7,575,865, which are all incorporated by reference herein in their entirety.

FIG. 3 illustrates a cross-sectional view of two representative chemical sensors and their corresponding reaction regions according to an exemplary embodiment. In FIG. 3, two chemical sensors 350, 351 are shown, representing a small portion of a sensor array that can include millions of chemical sensors. Chemical sensor 350 is coupled to corresponding reaction region 301, and chemical sensor 351 is coupled to corresponding reaction region 302. Chemical sensor 350 is representative of the chemical sensors in the sensor array. In the illustrated example, the chemical sensor 350 is a chemically-sensitive field effect transistor (chemFET), more specifically an ion-sensitive field effect transistor (ISFET) in this example. The chemical sensor 350 includes a floating gate structure 318 having a sensor plate 320 coupled to the reaction region 301 by an electrically conductive element 370. As is illustrated in FIG. 3, the sensor plate 320 is the uppermost floating gate conductor in the floating gate structure 318. In the illustrated example, the floating gate structure 318 includes multiple patterned layers of conductive material within layers of dielectric material 319. The chemical sensor 350 also includes a source region 321 and a drain region 322 within a semiconductor substrate 354. The source region 321 and the drain region 322 comprise doped semiconductor material having a conductivity type different from the conductivity type of the substrate 354. For example, the source region 321 and the drain region 322 may comprise doped P-type semiconductor material, and the substrate may comprise doped N-type semiconductor material. Channel region 323 separates the source region 321 and the drain region 322. The floating gate structure 318 overlies the channel region 323, and is separated from the substrate 354 by a gate dielectric 352. The gate dielectric 352 may be silicon dioxide, for example. Alternatively, other dielectrics may be used for the gate dielectric 352.

As shown in FIG. 3, the dielectric material defines the reaction region 301 which may be within opening created by the absence of the dielectric material. The dielectric material 308 may comprise one or more layers of material, such as silicon dioxide or silicon nitride. The dimensions of the openings, and their pitch, can vary from implementation to implementation. In some embodiments, the openings can have a characteristic diameter, defined as the square root of 4 times the plan view cross-sectional area (A) divided by Pi (e.g., sqrt(4*A/.pi.), of not greater than 5 micrometers, such as not greater than 3.5 micrometers, not greater than 2.0 micrometers, not greater than 1.6 micrometers, not greater than 1.0 micrometers, not greater than 0.8 micrometers, not greater than 0.6 micrometers, not greater than 0.4 micrometers, not greater than 0.2 micrometers or even not greater than 0.1 micrometers. The chemical sensor 350 includes a conductive element 370 protruding from the upper surface of the floating gate conductor 377 into the opening as illustrated in FIG. 3. In the illustrated embodiment, dielectric materials 308/308' define a reaction region 301. Dielectric materials 308 and 308' may comprise an upper layer 315 and a lower layer 314, respectively. The reaction region 301 may overly and extend below an upper surface 371 of the conductive element 370. The conductive element 370 may have a width narrower than a width of the reaction region. The conductive element 370 may have a height less than the height of the dielectric material defining the reaction region. As a result of this structure, the conductive element 370 is shaped like a post and the upper surface 371 of the conductive element 370 acts as the sensing surface for the chemical sensor 350. The conductive element as discussed throughout the disclosure may be formed in various shapes (width, height, etc.) depending on the materials/etch techniques/fabrication processes etc. used during the manufacture process. In addition, because the electrically conductive element 370 protrudes into the opening in the dielectric material, the sensing surface area of the chemical sensor 350 is not limited by the surface area of the opening. The electrically conductive element 370 may comprise one or more of a variety of different materials to facilitate sensitivity to particular ions (e.g. hydrogen ions).

According to one embodiment, the conductive element may have a width W less than a width W' of the reaction region. According to another embodiment, the upper surface 371 of the conductive element 370 may be below an upper surface 371' of the dielectric material 308/308'. In another embodiment, the dielectric material may include a first layer 308 and a second layer 308' on the first layer 308, and the conductive element 370 may extend from the upper surface of the floating gate conductor 377 a distance defined by a thickness 609 of the first layer 308. According to one embodiment, the conductive element may comprise an electrically conductive material, and an upper surface of the conductive element may include an oxide of the electrically conductive material. In one embodiment, the chemical sensor further includes a layer of sensing material on the conductive element. The sensing material may comprise a metal-oxide. The sensing material is sensitive to hydrogen ions. According to another embodiment, the chemically-sensitive field effect transistor may include a floating gate structure comprising a plurality of conductors electrically coupled to one another and separated by dielectric layers, and the floating gate conductor may be an uppermost conductor in the plurality of conductors. In another embodiment, the chemically-sensitive field effect transistor may generate a sensor signal in response to a chemical reaction occurring proximate to the conductive element. In yet another embodiment, the chemical sensor further includes a microfluidic structure in fluid flow communication with the chemically-sensitive field effect transistor, and arranged to deliver analytes for sequencing.

The post-shaped electrically conductive element 370 provides the chemical sensor 350 with a small plan view area, while also providing a sufficiently large surface area to avoid the noise issues associated with small sensing surfaces. The plan view area of the chemical sensor is determined in part by the width (or diameter) of the reaction region 301 and can be made small, allowing for a high density array. In addition, because the reaction region 301 overlies and extends below the upper surface 371 of the conductive element 370, the sensing surface area depends upon the depth and the circumference of the reaction region 301, as well as the distance that the electrically conductive element 370 extends into the opening, and can be relatively large. As a result, low noise chemical sensors 350, 351 can be provided in a high density array, such that the characteristics of reactions can be accurately detected.

During manufacturing and/or operation of the device, a thin oxide of the material of the electrically conductive element 370 may be grown on the upper surface 371 which acts as a sensing material (e.g. an ion-sensitive sensing material) for the chemical sensor 350. For example, in one embodiment the electrically conductive element 370 may be titanium nitride, and titanium oxide or titanium oxynitride may be grown on the upper surface 371 during manufacturing and/or during exposure to solutions during use. Whether an oxide is formed depends on the conductive material, the manufacturing processes performed, and the conditions under which the device is operated. In the illustrated example, the electrically conductive element 370 is shown as a single layer of material. More generally, the electrically conductive element 370 may comprise one or more layers of a variety of electrically conductive materials, such as metals or ceramics, depending upon the implementation. The conductive material can be, for example, a metallic material or alloy thereof, or can be a ceramic material, or a combination thereof. An exemplary metallic material includes one of aluminum, copper, nickel, titanium, silver, gold, platinum, hafnium, lanthanum, tantalum, tungsten, iridium, zirconium, palladium, or a combination thereof. An exemplary ceramic material includes one of titanium nitride, titanium aluminum nitride, titanium oxynitride, tantalum nitride, or a combination thereof. In some alternative embodiments, an additional conformal sensing material (not shown) is deposited on the upper surface 371 of the electrically conductive element 370. The sensing material may comprise one or more of a variety of different materials to facilitate sensitivity to particular ions. For example, silicon nitride or silicon oxynitride, as well as metal oxides such as silicon oxide, aluminum or tantalum oxides, generally provide sensitivity to hydrogen ions, whereas sensing materials comprising polyvinyl chloride containing valinomycin provide sensitivity to potassium ions. Materials sensitive to other ions such as sodium, silver, iron, bromine, iodine, calcium, and nitrate may also be used, depending upon the implementation.

Referring again to FIG. 3, in operation, reactants, wash solutions, and other reagents may move in and out of the reaction region 301 by a diffusion mechanism 340. The chemical sensor 350 is responsive to (and generates an output signal related to) the amount of a charge 324 proximate to the electrically conductive element 370. The presence of charge 324 in an analyte solution alters the surface potential at the interface between the analyte solution and the upper surface 371 of the electrically conductive element 370, due to the protonation or deprotonation of surface charge groups caused by the ions present in the analyte solution. Changes in the charge 324 cause changes in the voltage on the floating gate structure 318, which in turn changes in the threshold voltage of the transistor of the chemical sensor 350. This change in threshold voltage can be measured by measuring the current in the channel region 323 between the source region 321 and a drain region 322. As a result, the chemical sensor 350 can be used directly to provide a current-based output signal on an array line connected to the source region 321 or drain region 322, or indirectly with additional circuitry to provide a voltage-based output signal. As described in more detail below with respect to FIGS. 5-14, the dielectric material has an upper layer 315 and a lower layer 314 and the conductive element 370 protrudes from the upper surface 371 of the floating gate conductor a distance defined by a thickness 609 of the lower layer 314. Because the charge 324 may be more highly concentrated near the bottom of the reaction region 301, in some embodiments variations in the dimensions of this extension may have a significant effect on the amplitude of the signal detected in response to the charge 324. In an embodiment, reactions carried out in the reaction region 301 can be analytical reactions to identify or determine characteristics or properties of an analyte of interest. Such reactions can generate directly or indirectly byproducts that affect the amount of charge adjacent to the electrically conductive element 370. If such byproducts are produced in small amounts or rapidly decay or react with other constituents, multiple copies of the same analyte may be analyzed in the reaction region 301 at the same time in order to increase the output signal generated. In an embodiment, multiple copies of an analyte may be attached to a solid phase support 312, either before or after deposition into the reaction region 301. The solid phase support 312 may be microparticles, nanoparticles, beads, solid or porous comprising gels, or the like. For simplicity and ease of explanation, solid phase support 312 is also referred herein as a particle. For a nucleic acid analyte, multiple, connected copies may be made by rolling circle amplification (RCA), exponential RCA, or like techniques, to produce an amplicon without the need of a solid support.

FIG. 4 illustrates a chemical sensor according to an alternate embodiment. As illustrated in FIG. 4, the chemical sensors 450, 451 include a conductive element 470 protruding from the upper surface of the floating gate conductor into the opening. In the illustrated embodiment, the dielectric material (i.e. 408 and 408') defines a reaction region 401. The dielectric material may comprise an upper layer 415 and a lower layer 414. The reaction region 401 may overly and extend below an upper surface 471 of the conductive element 470. For example, the conductive material 470 may be a layer of titanium nitride, or a layer of titanium. Alternatively, other and/or additional conductive materials may be used, such as those described above with reference to the electrically conductive element. In addition, more than one layer of conductive material may be deposited. The conductive material 470 may be deposited using various techniques, such as sputtering, reactive sputtering, atomic layer deposition (ALD), low pressure chemical vapor deposition (LPCVD), plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD), metal organic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD), etc. The solid phase support may be of varied size, as would be understood by one of ordinary skill in the art. In the illustrated embodiment, solid phase support 412 is larger than solid support 412 illustrated in FIG. 4. The dielectric material has an upper layer 415 and a lower layer 414 and the conductive element 470 protrudes from the upper surface 471 of the floating gate conductor a distance defined by a thickness 609' of the lower layer 414. Because the charge 424 may be more highly concentrated near the bottom of the reaction region 401, in some embodiments variations in the dimensions of this extension may have a significant effect on the amplitude of the signal detected in response to the charge 424.

In various exemplary embodiments, the methods, systems, and computer readable media described herein may advantageously be used to process and/or analyze data and signals obtained from electronic or charged-based nucleic acid sequencing. In electronic or charged-based sequencing (such as, pH-based sequencing), a nucleotide incorporation event may be determined by detecting ions (e.g., hydrogen ions) that are generated as natural by-products of polymerase-catalyzed nucleotide extension reactions. This may be used to sequence a sample or template nucleic acid, which may be a fragment of a nucleic acid sequence of interest, for example, and which may be directly or indirectly attached as a clonal population to a solid support, such as a particle, microparticle, bead, etc. The sample or template nucleic acid may be operably associated to a primer and polymerase and may be subjected to repeated cycles or "flows" of deoxynucleoside triphosphate ("dNTP") addition (which may be referred to herein as "nucleotide flows" from which nucleotide incorporations may result) and washing. The primer may be annealed to the sample or template so that the primer's 3' end can be extended by a polymerase whenever dNTPs complementary to the next base in the template are added. Then, based on the known sequence of nucleotide flows and on measured output signals of the chemical sensors indicative of ion concentration during each nucleotide flow, the identity of the type, sequence and number of nucleotide(s) associated with a sample nucleic acid present in a reaction region coupled to a chemical sensor can be determined.

FIGS. 5-11 illustrate stages in a manufacturing process for forming an array of chemical sensors and corresponding well structures according to an exemplary embodiment. FIG. 5 illustrates a structure 500 including the floating gate structures (e.g. floating gate structure 318) for the chemical sensors 350, 351. The structure 500 can be formed by depositing a layer of gate dielectric material on the semiconductor substrate 354, and depositing a layer of polysilicon (or other electrically conductive material) on the layer of gate dielectric material. The layer of polysilicon and the layer gate dielectric material can then be etched using an etch mask to form the gate dielectric elements (e.g. gate dielectric 352) and the lowermost conductive material element of the floating gate structures. Following formation of an ion-implantation mask, ion implantation can then be performed to form the source and drain regions (e.g. source region 321 and a drain region 322) of the chemical sensors. A first layer of the dielectric material 319 can be deposited over the lowermost conductive material elements. Conductive plugs can then be formed within vias etched in the first layer of dielectric material 319 to contact the lowermost conductive material elements of the floating gate structures. A layer of conductive material can then be deposited on the first layer of the dielectric material 319 and patterned to form second conductive material elements electrically connected to the conductive plugs. This process can then be repeated multiple times to form the completed floating gate structure 318 shown in FIG. 5. Alternatively, other and/or additional techniques may be performed to form the structure. Forming the structure 500 in FIG. 5 can also include forming additional elements such as array lines (e.g. word lines, bit lines, etc.) for accessing the chemical sensors, additional doped regions in the substrate 354, and other circuitry (e.g. access circuitry, bias circuitry etc.) used to operate the chemical sensors, depending upon the device and array configuration in which the chemical sensors described herein are implemented. In some embodiments, the elements of the structure may, for example, be manufactured using techniques described in U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2010/0300559, No. 2010/0197507, No. 2010/0301398, No. 2010/0300895, No. 2010/0137143, and No. 2009/0026082, and U.S. Pat. No. 7,575,865, each of which were incorporated by reference in their entirety above.

As illustrated in the structure 600 illustrated in FIG. 6, a dielectric material 308 may be formed on the sensor plate 320 of the field effect transistor of the chemical sensor 350. The thickness of the dielectric material 308 at this stage may be defined by a distance 609. This thickness is one way to control the height and shape of the conductive element. Next, as illustrated in FIG. 7, the dielectric material 308 of the structure 600 in FIG. 6 is etched to form openings 710, 712 extending to the upper surfaces of the floating gate structures of the chemical sensors 350, 351, resulting in the structure 700 illustrated in FIG. 7. The openings 710, 712 may, for example, be formed by using a lithographic process to pattern a layer of photoresist on the dielectric material 308 to define the locations of the openings 710, 712, and then anisotropically etching the dielectric material 308 using the patterned photoreist as an etch mask. The anisotropic etching of the dielectric material 308 may, for example, be a dry etch process, such as a fluorine based Reactive Ion Etching (RIE) process. In the illustrated embodiment, the openings 710, 712 are separated by a distance 730 that is equal to their width 720. Alternatively, the separation distance 730 between adjacent openings may be less than the width 720. For example, the separation distance 730 may be a minimum feature size for the process (e.g. a lithographic process) used to form the openings 710, 712. In such a case, the distance 730 may be significantly less than the width 720. Next, a layer of conductive material 870 is deposited on the structure 700 illustrated in FIG. 7, resulting in the structure 800 illustrated in FIG. 8. The conductive material 870 comprises one or more layers of electrically conductive material. For example, the conductive material 870 may be a layer of titanium nitride, or a layer of titanium. Alternatively, other and/or additional conductive materials may be used, such as those described above with reference to the electrically conductive element. In addition, more than one layer of conductive material may be deposited. The conductive material 870 may be deposited using various techniques, such as sputtering, reactive sputtering, atomic layer deposition (ALD), low pressure chemical vapor deposition (LPCVD), plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD), metal organic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD), etc. For simplicity, the conductive material 870 is shown as planar; however there may be divots in the conductive material 870 above the openings, for example. Next, the conductive material 870 is etched using a Chemical Mechanical Planarization (CMP) process, for example, resulting in the structure 900 illustrated in FIG. 9. The etching process planarizes conductive material 870 and the dielectric material 308. Next, a second dielectric material 308' may be formed on the planarized conductive material 870 and dielectric material 308, resulting in the structure 1000 illustrated in FIG. 10. For example, the second dielectric material 308' may be Tetraethyl orthosilicate, (TEOS) or silicon dioxide. Next, the dielectric materials 308 and 308' and conductive material 870 of the structure 1000 in FIG. 10 is etched to form openings 1110, 1112 extending to the upper surfaces of the floating gate structures of the chemical sensors 350, 351, resulting in the structure 1100 illustrated in FIG. 11. The etching process may be a timed etch process, for example.

FIGS. 12-14 illustrate stages in a manufacturing process for forming an array of chemical sensors and corresponding well structures according to an exemplary embodiment. FIG. 12 illustrates an alternate method of forming the structure 1400 illustrated in FIG. 14. Beginning with the structure 600 illustrated in FIG. 6, dielectric material 308 may be reduced and/or planarized by using a Chemical Mechanical Planarization (CMP) process or an etch back process (or by another suitable technique described above) and a material 1212 suitable for use with an etch stop technique (for example, Silicon Nitride) may be formed thereon, resulting in the structure illustrated in FIG. 12. Next, a dielectric material 1313 (for example, Tetraethyl orthosilicate, (TEOS)) may be formed over material 1212, resulting in the structure 1300 illustrated in FIG. 13. Thereafter, openings extending to the upper surfaces of the floating gate structures of the chemical sensors 350, 351 may be formed in the dielectric material, as discussed above with reference to FIGS. 6 and 7. A layer of conductive material 1370 is deposited within the openings, as discussed above with reference to FIGS. 7 and 8. For example, the conductive material 1370 may be a layer of titanium nitride, or a layer of titanium. Alternatively, other and/or additional conductive materials may be used, such as those described above with reference to the electrically conductive element 370. In addition, more than one layer of conductive material may be deposited. The conductive material 1370 may be deposited using various techniques, such as sputtering, reactive sputtering, atomic layer deposition (ALD), low pressure chemical vapor deposition (LPCVD), plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD), metal organic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD), etc. The conductive material 1370 and dielectric material 1313 are etched using a Chemical Mechanical Planarization (CMP) process as discussed above (or by another suitable technique described above) with reference to FIGS. 8 and 9. Once the conductive material 1370 and the dielectric material 1313 (for example, TEOS, or those described above) have been planarized, a dielectric material 1313' (for example, TEOS, or those disclosed above) is formed on the planarized surface. Next, the dielectric materials 1313 and 1313' and conductive material 1370 are etched using an etch stop technique to form openings 1110, 1112 extending to the material 1212. The conductive element 1370 extends to the upper surfaces of the floating gate structures of the chemical sensors 350, 351, resulting in the structure 1400 illustrated in FIG. 14.

While the present invention is disclosed by reference to the preferred embodiments and examples detailed above, it is to be understood that these examples are intended in an illustrative rather than in a limiting sense. It is contemplated that modifications and combinations will readily occur to those skilled in the art, which modifications and combinations will be within the spirit of the invention and the scope of the following claims.

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